Patriotism
Episode 4, Season 6 of War. Enjoy y'all. <3 Sorry I freaked you out last one. This one will be better, promise. :3 Patriotism "Brookfall, if you keep pacing, I'm going to break your legs." I glare at Oakclaw so venomously he flinches. "Not funny." I resume the path I've been treading for what feels like days, back and forth and back and forth in front of the medicine den. Every so often, an agonized wail drifts out and we all stop, staring intently at the den. Grayleaf comes out every once in a while to give us news, but it's not enough. It's not enough and it shouldn't have happened. We weren't supposed to get caught by freaking WaterClan rebels. We weren't supposed to end up being sentenced to death. Adderscar wasn't supposed to get his leg broken. The rebels' sick way of making sure we wouldn't run away. It wasn't a clean break. Grayleaf said it would be all right. It should have been all right. But walking back to Main...Adderscar got sick. Too sick. There were no camps between us and Main, and we did everything we could. We got him to the medicine den. But it might be too late. There's another painful howl which cuts off abruptly. Shadowsong spins around from where she's been hacking at a log and makes to head into the medicine den. But Grayleaf comes out and his eyes are weary. And his pelt is slick in some places with blood. I feel bile rise in my throat. "The infection...we got to it in time. He won't loose the leg or anything." There's a huge exhale of relief around the circle. "He's asleep now. We had to set the bone and it..." Grayleaf's eyes drift off a little and his small body quakes a little. "It wasn't fun." "But he's okay?" Oakclaw asks. Despite his jokes, his lazy smirk, the fact he and Adderscar constantly irritate each other, I can see the worry in his eyes. The desperation, the pain. I can practically hear his thoughts, blaming himself for not protecting Adderscar. Grayleaf nods. "He'll limp...he won't...be the same. But he'll live." He sways on his paws a little and Stormflight offers him his shoulder. "You need to sleep," the gray tom meows, electric blue eyes narrowed. "You've been on your paws for days." "Hours," Grayleaf corrects. But his eyelids are drooping and Stormflight helps him back to the den. The rest of us stand in a loose circle. "Brookfall?" I look up to see Snowflight peering at me. The longer she spends with us, the more emotion I've been able to read from her usually blank features. She'll never be crazy emotional, but she's not the stony faced killer she used to be. The look she's giving me now is one of almost maternal affection. "What do you want us to do?" I blink, then nod slowly. "Someone better go tell Gorsefur." Gorsefur, despite countless rants, threats, pleads, and bribes, ended up having to go to some meeting for a new campaign against FireClan. Which means I'm technically in charge. Technically. "And...we should set up a watch. For Adderscar. I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up. The rest of us should head back to the den to rest...Gorsefur will probably come back soon." With some insane mission, I add softly to myself. Shadowsong has already darted off to find Gorsefur. Oakclaw volunteers for first watch, leaving me and Snowflight to walk back to the den. I dream of peace and blood and a silver she-cat with bright blue eyes, who hisses at me. Blames me. "Brookfall?" I jerk awake with a yowl and find myself staring at Gorsefur's worried golden eyes. Wordlessly, I bury my nose in his fur. He wraps his tail around me, and whispers sadly, "Duty calls." I stand, stretch, and pad outside. The others are all there, not joking like usual, but at least making an attempt to be normal. They give me too cheery welcomes (except for Grayleaf, who appears to be half asleep still). "What's the mission?" Shadowsong asks as we all settle down. Gorsefur's eyes darken and I immediately think, Dirt. "The higher-ups have decided that FireClan needs to be taught a lesson. They're pushing a campaign that...well, basically, we're just going in and pushing the border." "But...that's good?" Oakclaw asks. "They want us to take out any camps in the way," Gorsefur growls. "Any camps." The implications of that sink in. Some camps are just orphans and elders. Some are just like ours, honest cats trying to survive in a dark world. "What did Waterstar say?" I ask in a half-choked voice. I cannot, will not, imagine the kindly tom who's training my little brother authorizing this...slaughter. Looking pained, Gorsefur shakes his head. "He's...definitely against it. But he's just been declared leader. He doesn't have the authority to go around ordering some of the more...forceful generals to stand down." "That's not fair!" Stormflight yowls. "But that's how it works," Shadowsong sighs. "So you guys need to get ready," Gorsefur meows. He turns to me, looking exhausted. I long for the days where we got days off, missions that didn't involve us almost dying constantly. "Will you come with me to check on Adderscar?" I nod and we stand. The others hurry off to do whatever and Gorsefur walks beside me as we head to the medicine dens. I look at the ground, and maybe it's a trick of the light or just me seeing things, but I could swear that my shadow is a little...plumper. Dirt. Almost all the fear I've been holding inside my stomach vanishes as soon as we get close enough to the medicine den to hear the conversation going on inside. "You're using goldenrod? Are you trying to get me infected? Put that down, go find yourself some comfrey, and come back when you've figured out how to be a proper medicine cat." Gorsefur snorts and we duck into the spacious medicine den. Adderscar looks up, his green eyes narrowed in disgust. "This medicine cat is trying to kill me!" The said medicine cat, takes our exit as a much needed opportunity to rush out. I purr and sit next to Adderscar, "Isn't comfrey used for colds?" "You haven't seen the latest research," he mutters. I let my eyes wander to his leg. On his shoulder, there's the puckered scar from where an adder bit him as a kit and gave him his name. That's normal, at least. But below that, his leg...it's a mess. At least now it's a cleaner mess. Cobweb and poultices and all manner of herbs and leaves are slathered on it. But I can still see the crusty red staining the cobweb, still smell the coppery scent of blood. "So," Adderscar breaks my concentration, turning slightly to Gorsefur. He tries to hide it, but I see him wince, eyes bright with pain. "What are we doing?" Gorsefur looks at him, slack jawed. Adderscar looks back, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You're going to rest," Gorsefur finally sputters. Adderscar rolls his eyes. "As fun as it would be to zone out on poppy seeds, you're going to need a competent strategist to take care of your rather broad mission." "One," Gorsefur meows. "I'm pretty sure you're already on enough poppy seeds. And two, we'll find someone else." "You can't leave me behind," Adderscar hisses. Gorsefur almost recoils at the force in his words and Adderscar's serenity melts into something fearsome. "The last time I got left behind on a mission, someone died. Someone I cared about quite a bit." "Then it's a good thing you don't like us all that much?" I offer. Gorsefur and Adderscar both turn to glare at me and I shrink back. "Sorry." "Adderscar, you're wounded. If we move you, you could die. Your leg might not heal properly. And if it were any one of us, you would tell them that they would be a burden. That they could help more by staying behind." "Gorsefur!" I glare at him and he looks at me. I narrow my eyes and he relents a little. "Look, Adderscar...I know you're probably trying to figure out some plan to follow us if we do leave you behind." Adderscar modestly shrugs. "But I need you to promise me you won't." Adderscar just glares at him and I crouch in front of him. "Adderscar. She wouldn't want you to throw your life away." He glares at me, green eyes poison. "How would you know what she wanted?" he spats. But from the way he curls in on himself, slumps, I know he's not going to follow us. "We'll see you when we get back," I meow. Gorsefur looks at me doubtfully but I nod and he follows me out. "So for this mission..." Stormflight asks. "Do we just walk up to FireClan or...?" Gorsefur's whiskers twitch. "They're combining two squads, who then go on. We're meeting our partners right...right over there, I think." We look over the hill to our left to see a huge oak tree, it's branches spread wide to grasp at the sky. Dark brown tendril inject jade leaves into the liquid blue and it's utterly breathtaking. Grayleaf stops walking for a moment, eyes wide. I even see Snowflight falter. We pad down the hill and towards the massive tree. Beneath it, I see a cluster of cats and I feel a prickle of curiosity, as well as a stab of nerves. I mean, I'm not shy, it's just...well, when you get used to a group of cats, it's weird to try to add more cats to that dynamic. Also, I think I am a little shy. As we approach, I take stock of the others. A serene looking massive tom sits beside a tiny she-cat with narrowed eyes. A pair of toms squabble over a squirrel and a pair of russet she-cats, who look like small foxes, peer at us. And in the lead is a blue she-cat with silver eyes. Gorsefur catches his breath and I look over, "You okay?" "Moonclaw..." he mutters. "Dirt. Dirt on a stick. Dirt in a tree. Dirt-" "Who's Moonclaw?" I ask, feeling oh so naive. "Moonclaw?" Shadowsong peers around us and her eyes widen into golden disks. "No way nowaynowaynowayno-" "Who is Moonclaw?!" I practically yowl "That would be me." I look up and realize with a twinge of embarrassment that the she-cat is in front of us. She's...well, she's kind of scary. She's tall, but lean, and her muscles are coiled tightly beneath her pelt. Her teeth are sharp and her claws gleam like silver thorns in the light. "Nice to meet you," Gorsefur meows diplomatically, though I can see the tightness in his jaw. "I've heard a lot about you." "I've heard about you as well," Moonclaw nods at him. "Gorsefur, right?" He nods, and she surveys us. Her eyes narrow, "Only six?" "Our intelligence specialist was injured," Gorsefur replies quickly. I start a little at the...technical name. We just call Adderscar the 'brains'. As in, the brains of most of our operations. Moonclaw tips her head and Shadowsong practically trips over herself as she steps forward, "Don't worry, we can handle ourselves. It's an honor to be serving with you." Apparently sated, Moonclaw turns and calls her squad over. The huge tom is a medicine cat, introduced as Sageheart. The small she-cat is their brain and I forget her name almost immediately, thinking only of Adderscar. I wonder if he's still in the camp. I really really hope so. The two toms are Hawkdive and Birchleaf. Birchleaf is a gangly tom with a goofy grin, and Hawkdive is one of those darkly handsome toms you see she-cats swoon over all the time. But I take a dislike to him almost immediately. The almost identical she-cats are introduced as Scarletfur and Cherrypelt. Because having more distinguishing names would be too helpful. Gorsefur swiftly introduces us. I wave my tail as he says my name, but don't do much else. Moonclaw's eyes settle for a moment on Snowflight, then move on. Finally, she meows, "Well, we'd better move out. The plan is to camp a bit away from the border and cross in the morning." Turning, she leads her squad into a steady march. We slowly follow. Shadowsong is whispering giddily to Oakclaw and Snowflight is sharing anxious glances with Oakclaw. I really can't make up my mind about how I feel about all of this. "So who is Moonclaw?" I ask once more. We've set up camp together, but Shadowsong and I are out hunting. A pair of Moonclaw's cats are out here too, but they disappeared a while back. Shadowsong bounces like an excited kit. "She's a legend is what she is. Youngest she-cat to ever be given the Hero Award, commanding her own squad when she was younger than us, beating FireClan cats, no toms needed," Shadowsong sighs dreamily. "She and her sister, Darkwillow...they're my heroes." "Why doesn't Gorsefur like her?" I ask. "She sounds awesome." Shadowsong rolls her eyes, "Who knows? He probably just doesn't like the idea of a she-cat who could beat him in a fight." "You could beat him in a fight. I'' could beat him in a fight." "A she-cat he doesn't deeply respect already," she amends, whiskers twitching. We manage to catch a few squirrels and five mice, though I had doubted we would catch anything with Shadowsong's regaling of all of Moonclaw and Darkwillow's adventures. "-and ''then," she's saying as we trundle back into camp. "Darkwillow led the second attack and they totally wiped the smirks off those FireClan cat's faces! Everyone was talking about it for days." "Are you talking about the second battle of Whiteridge?" We looks up to see Moonclaw. I feel the urge to squeal and ask for a story like a kit, but I shove it down. No matter how this she-cat...unsettled me at first, Shadowsong's tales had earned her my utter respect. Shadowsong nodded eagerly. Moonclaw sighed, "Sloppy battle. Darkwillow always was a little to eager to make me worry that she got lost on the way to the battle." There's a beat of silence and Shadowsong meows, "She was?" Moonclaw looks up at the night sky, the looming moon, cold and bright against the dark sky. "Darkwillow...we were fighting off a couple squadrons near the border. A season ago. It was a skirmish, really. But she got stupid. They...they took her." "But she could still be alive!" Shadowsong meowed hopefully. Moonclaw gave a bitter purr. "'Fraid not kit. The spread the word of her execution all around. I got to the prison they were holding her in, led a nice jailbreak. But...they killed her. In front of me." My shock at Shadowsong not killing someone for calling her 'kit' is washed away by my shock at the utter cruelty, the senselessness of what Moonclaw is describing. That kind of horror could break a cat, twist them and turn them until they were...gone. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. Moonclaw gives me a grateful, though slightly disdainful look, "What's done is done. Darkwillow made her choice. And all I can do it makes sure I take as much from FireClan as they took from me." I nod, not really sure how to respond to that. I think we've had it hard, and we have. But having someone I loved killed in front of me? Watching them bleed out, my name on their lips as the breath left their body? Could I watch any of my squadmates go through that? Let alone Gorsefur, Riverkit...? Tipping her head, Moonclaw surveys me, then Shadowsong. "You remind me of her," she says softly to Shadowsong. "I look forward to seeing what you can do on the battlefield." She nods at me and pads over to her nest on the other side of the clearing. "I can't believe Darkwillow's gone..." Shadowsong whispers. "I can't believe Moonclaw thinks I look like her." "Come on," I pull her towards the nests. "You need your sleep for showing her your stuff tomorrow." I make sure she's curled up next to Oakclaw before I pad to my own nest. "It's like having my very own kit," I whisper to Gorsefur. He doesn't purr and I look over at him, "What's wrong?" "Moonclaw..." he shakes his head. "Never mind." "Not never mind!" I protest, glaring at him. "She's awesome. Everything a she-cat should be- smart, pretty, dangerous...I wish I'' could be like her. I'm pretty sure Shadowsong is planning on stealing her body or something..." "No," Gorsefur rolls his eyes. "I think she's great it's just..." he drops his voice. "She was a great warrior. Easily one of the best. But when her sister died..." he shakes his head, "Something broke. Something snaps." I feel a chill and I look over to the other side of the clearing. Moonclaw's blue fur is fire in the moonlight, and I remember the way her cold silver eyes surveyed me so clinically. "I'm sure it'll be fine," Gorsefur reassures me. "Just sleep." Uneasily, I curl up and let myself drift away. "Is everyone clear on the plan?" "For the last time, yes," Shadowsong snaps. "I would've thought you wanted to get the plan perfect," Oakclaw meows sarcastically. "Seeing as how you want Moonclaw to see your amazingness and fall in love with you." Shadowsong swats him and Gorsefur sighs. "Alright. So, remember, we're trying to drive the kits, queens, and elders towards FireClan Main. Moonclaw's squad will come in from the other side of the camp. We good?" "If you ask one more time, I will eat you," Shadowsong mutters. Gorsefur rolls his eyes, and peers up. Moonclaw, barely visible on the ridge across the FireClan camp, waves her tail and Gorsefur nods. "Go." We spill into the FireClan camp, yowling and screeching like badgers. A wail goes up and warriors spill out of a small den. It's a little camp. Picturesque, but not important or well-defended. There's less warriors defending the camp then our two squads combined. Shadowsong throws herself at the biggest FireClan warrior, howling. I can see Moonclaw and her squad sprinting down the ridge, graceful and furious. The FireClan cats are confused and wailing and blood splatters the sandy ground. I see Stormflight baring his teeth at some queens and they lumber as quickly as possible out of camp. I don't see Snowflight next to him, and I feel a moment of fear. There she is, standing alone in the midst of the battle. Her dark amber eyes are stormy and her fur blows in the cool breeze. She looks frozen and cold and utterly alone. Shattered. This is the first time we've done something like this. Not gone after a FireClan squad that came after us first, or that deserved to be taken down. This pitiful camp is practically AirClan for all the resistance their giving, for all the help they're providing the war. And then I see Moonclaw, looking at Snowflight with narrowed silver eyes. Inexplicably, I wanted to shriek at Snowflight to run. To get away and to hide. Gorsefur shouts a warning and I duck as a tabby she-cat flies over my head, yowling in dismay. I pounce on her, clawing and biting, though my heart's not really in it. She darts away and almost trips on something. I narrow my eyes at it, trying to see through the dust kicked up by the battle. It's a body. I look up in shock. Gorsefur dispatches a growling tom, who runs off into the woods. A she-cat limps away from Shadowsong. But the cats fighting Moonclaw's squad...they fall. They fall and they don't get back up. And it's not just warriors either. Moonclaw leaps onto an elder, a savage grin staining her pretty features. She clamps her jaws on his neck and hangs on until he falls to the ground. I feel like vomiting. And, in less time than it took to make the plan, the battle is over. Bodies litter the camp and we pick our way amongst them to the center of camp. "Excellent battle," Moonclaw crows to her troops. "Did you have to kill the elder?" Gorsefur asks quietly. I see his tail, twitching with barely suppressed rage. Moonclaw looks at him, her silver eyes as cold and distant as the moon itself. "The only good FireClan cat," she says slowly. "Is a dead FireClan cat. They're rats, and WaterClan will only be safe when the very last FireClan cat has drawn its last stinking breath." Gorsefur stiffens, but he just nods to placate her. As soon as her back is turned, he shoots a glance at Snowflight. The white she-cat is standing tall beside Stormflight, but her eyes are slightly wider than normal. Is she...scared? I look at Shadowsong. She still looks exhilarated from the battle and it isn't until Oakclaw nudges her, eyes wide, that Moonclaw's words seem to register. Shadowsong turns her head to look at her hero, with wide amber eyes. She shakes her head, mouthing, ''no... Unknowing of our personal dramas, Moonclaw turns back around, "You all ready to move on?" she asked. "There's another camp close by that we could probably reach by sun-high." She wants to kill them all, I think, horror and shame washing over me. Gorsefur, pain in his eyes, nods. "Ready as ever," he meows brightly. Moonclaw turns and pads off, towards her next unlucky victims. I shoot Gorsefur a look and he just looks back at me, as if to say, what can we do? We follow Moonclaw, and I find myself wondering what it feels like to be not just a soldier, but a murderer. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics